(OVIEDO, Fla.) – RTS Orlando will mark the official beginning of the new academic year with its annual Convocation on August 25.
As the hard work and sacrifices of the year await students and faculty alike, Convocation is a moment to recognize that all are part of the work that God is doing at the seminary and in his church. As part of these important yearly proceedings, Academic Dean Michael Allen will also highlight the scholarly accomplishments of the faculty.
Staff, faculty, and students will pray a litany dedicating themselves to their callings. The whole seminary community will also confess together Psalm 45, the official campus psalm, celebrating the glory of God’s king and the beauty of his bride. This tradition reminds all present of their purpose, which is to serve Jesus and love his glorious bride, the church.
Dr. Allen commented, “’The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,’ so we start each year by making much of God’s name, by praying for God’s blessings, and by listening to God’s guidance for all our studies in the year to come.”
Dr. Scott Swain, President and James Woodrow Hassell Professor of Systematic Theology at RTS Orlando, will deliver the convocation message. His sermon from 2 Corinthians 13:14 will ask, “How deep is your baptism?” His message will be the beginning of a year-long faculty-led chapel series titled “From a Bath to a Banquet.”
In this series, residential faculty and visiting speakers will expound on the vitality of the sacraments for Christian living. These chapel messages, as well as Dr. Swain’s Convocation message, will be posted to the RTS Resources page as they are available.
Convocation is a community event, and RTS Orlando welcomes anyone who would like to join for the ceremony. The ceremony will begin at 11:15 a.m. on August 25, 2021, in the Pamplin Chapel on the Orlando campus.